Making the Ioniq slippier

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Phase

any idea how to shape and work with fiberglass too? im trying to do smooth underbody and wheel deflectors and boat tails behind them, then a rear diffuser and then feed all that into a boat tail

Fiberglass, or any composite will require that you 'build' every component at least 'three' times ( a big reason to get the design correct the first time ).
1) usually a plaster 'plug' is created, which represents the final appliance in every detail.
2) from the 'plug', a plastic-faced, plaster 'tool' is created, which will be the 'mold' from which the final 'part' is cast.
3) the 'part' begins with a fully-prepped mold ( 3-layers of carnauba wax, and a spray coat of polyvinyl alcohol release film ), then gel-coat, followed by successive layers of either pre-preg fabrics, matt, or tapes, of cross-oriented layers, or wet layups, preferably vacuum-bagged and autoclaved simultaneously.
4) Some epoxy systems can be post-cured outside in the heat of the Sun.
5) There are really good books on the subject.
6) I suppose there are good instructional videos available online.
7) I spent a few $ thousand on an advanced composite course near Reno, Nevada @ Abaris which has paid dividends ever since.

[Phase]

Sounds like a lot of work. Another idea I have is use flat panels for the sides and roof like of the boat rail, and then for the connecting curves at the corners? Use a long strip of abs plastic and just heat mold it it. The boat tail obviously won’t be one solid color or texture, but maybe I could make it have a sport appearance with the abs plastic accents?

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Phase

Sounds like a lot of work. Another idea I have is use flat panels for the sides and roof like of the boat rail, and then for the connecting curves at the corners? Use a long strip of abs plastic and just heat mold it it. The boat tail obviously won’t be one solid color or texture, but maybe I could make it have a sport appearance with the abs plastic accents?

It's intense, but a mandatory requirement if one has any expectation of achieving an 'OEM' appearance.
I recommend against using ABS for anything exposed to compression or tension, and especially if it is 'drilled' for rivets or screw fasteners. It has no 'substance' to it. If it fails, it will fail catastrophically.
I don't know of any adhesive bonding system capable of adhering to ABS either. Only hot-air-welding.
If you had 'tooling', ABS COULD be vacuum-formed into a fine tail, diffuser, whatever. The carmakers already do this.
And a good body shop could show you the modern automotive finishing systems capable of adhering to ABS.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by Phase

Another idea I have is use flat panels for the sides and roof like of the boat rail, and then for the connecting curves at the corners?

I keep saying this but nobody listens. But I'm at peace with that.

Polymetal.

Darts and pie cuts.

H-extrusions.









Then there is always hydroforming sheet metal.

[Piotrsko]

I can see explosive hydroforming done in a reinforced kids pool, but other than my old employer Mcstarlite, where are you going to get the tonnage and sizing to do this?

[freebeard]

...tonnage and sizing...

????

Not my first choice, but with 20 gauge patch panels I suspect a pump and a simple-curved form that only needs some crown would suffice.

[Piotrsko]

Tonnage and sizing: big bends in big pieces take tonnage which is the hydraulic PSI needed to alter the flat sheet, typically expressed as tons of pressure because 150,000 takes up too much space verses 75 ton. Sizing. Once again, big pieces of metal being bent need big places to bend them in known as sizing. If you want to bend a 12ft piece of sheetmetal, the device has to be bigger than 12ft.

20 gauge would still need a ton of pressure even delivered by 32 ounce framing hammer blows or 4 pound sledge hammer

At point of contact even an ENGLISH wheel does this. Hint the beefy frame they have

[aerohead]

If there's an expectation of achieving an OEM 'look' to the project, flat panels will never work.
There isn't a straight surface anywhere on the IONIQ. Everything has compound curvature.
It's either composites or hammering, annealing, wheeling, planishing, and joining of sheet metal.
If it's metal, you need how to weld, adhesively bond, or heliarc sections without warpage.
If you've seen 'Ford vs Ferrari' you've already seen the wooden styling buck for the creation of Peter Brock's, Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, needed to define all the sheet metal panels required for the car.
You'll find the buck for the E-Type Jaguar at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

[freebeard]

Ed Roth used a plaster male mold for his fiberglass, and hired Dirty Doug to chip it out afterward.

Today you can use Styrofoam and melt it out.

[Phase]

If only I knew someone with a giant 3d printer who could just print out a huge boat tail designed in blender or some 3d modeling app!